Bentley 4½-Litre Vanden Plas Tourer, 1927
Bentley R Type
Bentley R Type•
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Chassis No.: SL3061
Engine No.: XL3122 (see text)
£306,666 GBP | Sold
- Originally a Gurney Nutting-bodied coupé
- Known ownership history
- Restored by the previous owner
- Present ownership since 1994
- Extensively rallied in both the UK and Europe
- Very good history file
Early success in the 1922 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, when Bentleys finished second, fourth and fifth to take the Team Prize, led to the introduction of the TT Replica (later known as the Speed Model). However, by the middle of the decade the 3-Litre's competitiveness was on the wane and this, together with the fact that too many customers had been tempted to fit unsuitably heavy coachwork to the excellent 3-Litre chassis rather than accept the expense and complexity of Bentley's 6½-Litre 'Silent Six', led to the introduction of the '4½'.
The new 4½-Litre model effectively employed the chassis, transmission and brakes of the 3-Litre, combined with an engine that was in essence two-thirds of the six-cylinder 6½-litre unit. Thus the new four-cylinder motor retained the six's 100x140mm bore/stroke and Bentley's familiar four-valves-per-cylinder fixed-'head architecture, but reverted to the front-end vertical camshaft drive of the 3-Litre. Bentley Motors lost no time in race-proving its new car. It is believed that the first prototype engine went into the 3-Litre chassis of the 1927 Le Mans practice car. Subsequently this same engine was fitted to the first production 4½-Litre chassis for that year's Grand Prix d'Endurance at the Sarthe circuit.
The original 4½-Litre car, nicknamed by the team 'Old Mother Gun' and driven by Frank Clement and Leslie Callingham, promptly set the fastest race lap of 73.41mph before being eliminated in the infamous 'White House Crash' multiple pile-up.
The 4½-Litre was produced for four years, all but 10 of the 667 cars being built on the 3-Litre's 'Long Standard', 10' 10½"-wheelbase chassis. Purchasers of the 4½-Litre model were, in common with those of all Vintage-period Bentleys, free to specify their preferences from a very considerable range of mechanical and electrical equipment, in addition to whatever body style and coachbuilder might be required.
Chassis number 'SL3061' was completed in December 1927 with coupé coachwork by Gurney Nutting and first owned by a Dr Bulcock. In Dr Clare Hay's definitive work, Bentley The Vintage Years
, the Vanden Plas body is recorded as ex-HB3424 and the engine as ex-XL3122. On file is a hand-written list of all owners from Dr Bulcock up to Gordon Self, who purchased the Bentley from Julian Ghosh in 1974. Our vendor acquired 'YU 6281' from Gordon Self in 1994, since when the Bentley has been known as 'Bertie'.
While in the current ownership the Bentley has resided in Jersey, Channel Islands, making frequent expeditions to various locations throughout the UK and Europe including a BDC rally in Yorkshire; a trip to Le Mans in 1997 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Bentley's famous win in 1927; a tour of the Loire Valley; and a South of England rally.
In a letter to Dr Bulcock's son, dated 13th January 2000, our vendor has this to say: "Some time ago Andrew Frankel, the current editor of Motor Sport, took the wheel and he was kind enough to say Bertie was the best handling vintage Bentley he had ever driven. High praise indeed!
"Gordon (Self) did such an excellent job of restoring the car that I have been left with comparative little work but the braking system was overhauled last year and some of the paintwork has been re-sprayed. Other than that and some routine maintenance Bertie has been trouble-free."
The extensive history file contains invoices for works undertaken during Gordon Self's restoration in the 1980s and all bills accumulated since 1994, while others date as far back as the 1950s. Also on file is in-period correspondence between past owners; two old-style buff logbooks; expired MoTs and tax discs; a V5C document; and a full set of starting and running instructions.
Since 1994 the Bentley has been maintained by Blackmore Engineering Company of West Sussex; Le Riche in Jersey; and Clayton Motors of Jersey, the latter from the 1990s to the present day (they have been the most used company for servicing and repairs). Some £12,000 was spent on the engine in 2018, while Clayton's last full service was carried out in 2019. The car has been professionally stored since 2022.
Cost
1,487,663 AED
